Telephone signaling apparatus



(No Model.) 8

E H. B. LYTLE.

TELEPHONE SIGNALING APPARATUS. I Q l -V0 263,859. I I Pamennfa gl Sept 5 188?.

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UNITED STATES HENRY B. LYTLE, on BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TELEPHONE SIGNALING 'APPARATUS.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,926, dated September 5, 1882. Application filed J une 2, 1882. (No model.) i

ms. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to improved methods and appliances to be used in the practical operation of a telephone-exchange or central Offic.. It has been found generally convenient in operating such systems in large cities to divide the total number of ina coming subscribers lines into groups of any suitable number and to connect each group with a switch-board by itself and assign each individual group to the exclusive charge of an operator whose duty it is to receive calls, respond thereto, signal the desired subscribers, and connect one line with another for the purpose ofintercommuu-ication. If upon the occasion of any subscriber desiring to converse with another and making known his desire to the central station the desired subscriber is found to be in the same group, the operation is simple, being personally supervised by the operator who received the call, and who has the lines of both subscribers before him. It, on the contrary, the line of the desired subscriber be connected with a separate group, it is necessary that a common conductor shall be prepared between the two switch-boards with which both lines may be connected, and

which thus furnishes a link of communication between them. It is also necessary to provide means whereby any operator iii-charge of a switch-board in a central office is enabled to communicate with any other operatorstationed in charge of any other switch-board to designate to the said second operatorwhich one of his lines is desired, and to request him to place such line in connection nith' the switchboard of the first operator means of one of the. common conductors extending between the two switch-boards. A number of these common conductors are nsuallyprovided in the shape of metal bars crossing allenteringlines and extending to all switchboards in the central otlice. 'lo effect communication between the different operators it has been the practice heretofore upon the receipt of a call-signal from a subscriber requiring a line connected with another board to write the number of the required line and all other necessary information upon a ticket prepared for the purpose, which is then conveyed by a messenger to the operator in charge of the second board. This plan involved many messengers and great consequent confusion and noise, and hence is objectionable in practice.

The object of my present invention is to provide a thoroughly practical substitutefor the ticket and messenger system of transfer which shall at the same time be noiseless and be completely -under the control of the operators. I propose, also, so to extend the scope of such transfer that it may be also employed with an equal degree of success between the different central offices of a city or between central and branch offices as between the different groups of any individual office, since it is obvious that the dilference between the conditions is merely one of degree and not of kind.

My invention consists in placing at each individual switch-board in a central office, or at each office in a series of offices, an annu'nciator capableofbeingoperated from any otherswitchboard, and a series of circuit-closers adapted to close the circuit of a battery through the annunciator of any particular switch-hoard or office, thus notifying theoperator of such switchboard that some other operator has a communication to make to him. i

It further consists in combining the operators telephones at each separate switch-board with the circuit-closers in such a manner that the act of signaling any special switchboard shall also place the telephones of the signaler in position for oral communication with the operator signaled.

It also consists in the combination, with the devices hereinbet'ore enumerated, of a separate circuit-closer at each switchboard normally arranged to guideany incoming signals from other switch-boards to the annunciator-magnet ot' the receiving-board, but capable of transferring the circuit conveying the said incoming signals from theannunciator magnet branch to a second branch, including the telephones of the signaled switch-board.

In-the drawings by which, this specification is illustrated, Figurel is an outline of the general external appearance of three switch-boards furnished with my improved appliances. Fig. 2 is a theoretical diagram of the arrangement of circuits. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the circuit-closer which controls the incoming signals, showing the left circuit-spring arranged to make contact when the circuit-closer is upright. Fig. 4 shows in section the arrangement of the circuit-closers controlling the outgoing signals, adapted to stand normally clear of the springs on each side and capable of being turned in either direction; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the circuit-closers and annuneiator with their respective connections.

The circuit-closer which I prefer to use is that patented by Adolphus Gr. Snell, May 18,

' 1880, No. 227,851, and although I have shown it in Figs. 3 and 4,1 do not claim it as my invention.

In Fig. 1, A, B, and 0 are separate switch boards or tables in the same office, with which any desired number of subscribers lines may be connected in groups. Each switch-board is composed of a series of vertical metallic strips, 0, and a series of horizontal strips, 1), crossing the vertical strips, but normally insulated therefrom, the two sets of strips being fixed upon a base-board, a. the several line-wires entering are attached, and the line-circuits thus continue through the vertical strips and annuneiator-magnets d normally to the ground, in a manner well understood. The horizontal strips, or as many of them as may be required, 'are connected together seriatim throughout all the switchboards by the wires to, or any suitable conductor, to form connection-strips, by which any line-strip in one switch-section maybe united with any line-strip in any other switch-section by the attachment of connectors at the points of intersection between the horizontal connecting-strips and the desired line-circuit strips. At the side of each sectional switchboard I arrange upon a base-board, D, a series ofcircuit-closers,f, and an annuneiator, d,which I will now specifically describe.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, D is a baseboard of suitable size to be easily placed at one side of the desk of each switch-board, and at its upper end is an annuneiator, d, of any desired form, which is adapted to give a signal when an electrical cnrrentis passed through its coils. Arranged on the base-board D is a series of circuit-closers, f, f and f equal in number'to half the number of theswitch-boards to be served. At the lower end of the baseboard is an additional circuit-closer, f, identical in character with the others, but having different electrical connections. I prefer to construct the circuit-closers as shown in the Figs. 3 and 4, in which the lever Lis hung on a pivot, h, in the standard h, and has a handle extending outward, by means of which the circuit-closer is operated. Below the pivot is a spring, .9, which acts against the lower end To the vertical strips of the lever through an interposed sliding piece, *5, so as to force and hold the said lever to the central position, but yet allow it to be turned in either direction. By a screw, s, in metallic connection with the base of the lever a wire from any desired point may be attached thereto.

9 and g are fiat springs, fixed to the base D by the bolts t" and i and in permanent concircuit-wires being fastened to the bolts by the compression of nuts and washers s and 8 The lowest circuit-closer, f, on each base-board D is placed some little space from the others, and its left-hand spring, g,for a purpose which will hereinafter appear, is bent inward, so that it is normally in contact with the sidej of the circuit-closer, as shown in Fig. 3.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is that of all the other circuit-closers f f f ,in which the lever is normally out of contact with both plates 9 g. It is evident that by using circuitclosers of this construction any wire permanently united to the lever may be put in connection with any other wire united to the spring-plate on either side by the simple act of turning the lever on the required side until it makes firm contact with the spring 9 or g.

On each base-board D the flat springs on each of the circuit-closers, with the exception of the lower and separate circuit-closer, f, are designated by letters A B 0, corresponding with the letters designating the several switchboard sections, and the letters at each baseboard are similarly arranged. The same order of lettering is maintained upon all the base-boards irrespective of which switch-section in the system they are attached to.

All of the plate-springs, which upon any of the boards are designated by the same letter, are connected with one another and normally to one wire of the annuneiator at the switchsection indicated by such letter. For example, all the plate-springs which, at each of three switch-sections, A, B, and (J, are marked A are in permanent contact by suitable wires with one another, and also in temporary and normal contact with one terminal of the annuneiator at A switch-board, and, moreover, by the action of the operator at that switchboard, may be transferred t'rom the annuneiator-contact to a new contact connecting with the operators telephones. The lowest circuit-closer, f, at each switch-board has its lever permanently united to that one of the springs of the upper set of circuit-closers which is represented by its own letter, and, by means of the left-hand plate, 9, to its own annuneiator d.

The instrument shown in Fig. 5 has a'snfficient number of circuit-closers to admit of being operated in a central office having six separate switch-boards, designated respectively A, 13, G,D,E,and F. It is provided consequently with butthree circuit-closers, f, f and f each circuit-closer having two contact-sprin gs, g g. The lever off controls the springs marked A nection with the circuit-wires below, the said i IIO and B, that off controls 0 and D, and that of f, E and F. t It has a separate closer, f, also provided with two contact-springs, g and g. The levers of the upper circuit-closers are all connected together and with the platespring 9 of the lower circuit-closer,f, by a wire, 1, and to the operators telephones by another wire, 17. The contact-sprin gs of each of the upper circuit-closers are each connected to similar springs at all of the switch-boards which are marked withthe same letter, and also to the a lever of the lower circuit-closer, f, of the board represented by that letter. Thus in'the figure the spring marked A, at switch-board A, is connected by wire 5 to the A plates on every board, and also by a wire, 2, to the leverf, at board A. The spring B has a wire, 3, leaving it, which, in the same way, extends to the springs B on each board and to the leverf on the B board, and so on ad libitam. The spring-plate g of the lower circuit-closer is normally in contact with the lever of said circuit-closer, which thus i'ormsthe link between all the spring-plates designated by the letter A, and its own aununciator cl being connected to the latter by means of the wire 4, while the other wire, 10, of the aununciator is connected with a battery and ground. The circuit-closer f, being normally in contact with its left-hand spring, is capable of being moved to the right only. The object of bending the spring g inward is to save time and motion by allowing the normal contact of the lever with the spring one another, I refer to Fig. 2.

g to be restored by a single movement to an upright position, a

In further explanation of the method of disposition of each series of circuit-closers with their concomitant annunciators relatively to Three sets of my apparatus are therein represented, and the several instrrunentalities, with their connectin g-Hcircuits, are theoretically shown. The connections are asindicated in the description given of Fig. 5, but are fully carried out. Thus, in the figure at the extreme left, which represents the aununciator and circuit-closers for A board, the levers of the two upper circircuit-closers and the operators telephones,

and thence to the earth. The spring A of the apparatus on board A is connected by the wire- 2 with the lever of the lower circuit-closer, f, and by the wire 5 and branch wires with the spring A at each of the other switch-boards. Similarly at B switch-board the spring B c0nnects by wires 11 and 12 with the lever f of its lower circuit-closer, and by wires 6 and branch wires3 with the springs B at the other switch-boards; also, at O switch-board the spring-plate O connects by wire 7 and branch wires 8 with the lower circuit-closer, f, on its own board, and with the spring-plates 0 upon each of the other boards. At each switch-board the spring-plate g of the lower circuit-closer is seen to be connected by the wire 4 to its aununciator d, and the other terminals of all the annunciators are connected with the common return-wire 10, leading to battery P and to the ground. The aununciator d atevery switch-board is thus' in a normally-open circuit, extending from the ground and battery through the aununciator, and ex"- tending in open branches to all the other switch-boards in the system, ateach of which, as also at its own, the said circuit may be closed, causing the aununciator to drop by making contact with a second ground-connection, which is in practice done by turning the requisite circuit closer on its pivot. The switch-board thus signaled may transfer the circuit from the aununciator to its telephones, then by turning its lower circuit-closer and breaking contact with the spring 9 and making contact with the telephone-spring g. For example, the normal route of the communicating-circuits of themiddle switch-board,B, may be traced ast'ollows: Starting from ground G, it leads through battery P, wire 10, aununciator d, wire 4, spring g, circuit-closer f, wire 12, and by branch wire 11 to the spring B of the upper circuit-closer f at B switch-board; also, from wire 12, by wires 6 in either direction, to the plates B of the circuit-closers f at the-switchboards A and G, at all of which terminal points the said circuit is open. It, now, the circuit is so closed, by turning the necessary circuit-closer at any switch-boardfor example, at C-the route of the completed circuit would be as iollows: From ground and battery, as before, through aununciator d at B switch, wire 4', spring g, circuit-closerf, branch wire 12, wire 6, spring B at 0 switchboard, circuit-closer f, wire 1, wire 17, and the telephone and transmitter at the U switchboard to earth, thus completing the circuit of the battery through the aununciator at the B board and causing the said aununciator to fall. thus signaled he turns his lower circuit-closer,

f, till it makes contact with the plate g. The

If B wishes to talk with 0, on being Each switch-board can by this appasubscriber connected with O switch-board desires to talk with a subscriber connected with plate A.

the A switch-board. He calls the central of fice and makes known his wish, thus: 371 with29. O knows that 29 is connected with the board A, and it is necessary for him to communicate with A and request him to make the requisite changes. He turns the circuit-closer till it makes contact with the This operation, as described, both puts his telephone in circuit and closes the battery-circuit, causing the A annunciator to drop. A then knows thatsome operator wishes to speak with him. It is not necessary that he should know which operator. He immediately turns his lower circuit-closer,f, to the right, which puts his telephones in connection; with those of O, whereupon U transfers the order to A, and, after receiving the order, A; makes the desired connection and puts up' his annunciator for nether call, while O straightens his circuit-closer once more.

I do not confine the application of my invention to the establishment of communication between dilferent switchboards in the same office, since it is obvious that it is equally. applicable-to communication between switchboards located at difi'erent offices, its opera-, tion .being independent of the element of distance.

Itis also evident that, instead of connecting the battery P and the telephones E and F with r the ground, I may, ifl so desire, connect them with a metallic return-circuit, and such a construction will frequently be found convenient. The system of circuits, annunciatoi's, telephones, &c., could also be used for general communication between, say, a number of persons plete the annunciatorcircuit at any other switch-board and thus give a signal, and other means whereby the annunciator-circuit may be severed from the completed circuit and a second telephone-circuit substituted therefor, for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in a telephone-exchange system, including two or more telephone switchboards, of an annunciator in a normally-open battery-circuit, a. series of circuit-closers at each switch-board, the said circuit-closers being normally connected through a telephone with a ground or return circuit, a single circuit-closer normally connected with the annuneiator, and a series of connecting-wires each permanently connected with the single circuitcloser at its own switch-board and extending in normally-open branches to one of the circuitclosers of the series at each ofthe other switchboards, for the purpose specified.

3. At each oftwo or more switch-hoards, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of an annunciator in a normally-open battery-circuit, a telephone or telephones in a second normally open circuit, aconnectingwire extending in normally-open branch wires to each switch-board of the series, a circuit closer or changer permanently attached to the said connecting-Wire and normally uniting it with the animnciator-circuit but adapted to transfer it to the telephone-circuit, and a series of circuit-closers permanently in contact with the norm all y-open telephone-circuit and adapted to bring the same into contact with any desired one of the normally-open branch wires, and thus connect the apparatus at one switchboard with the apparatus at another.

4. The combination of a circuit having three or more branchesleadinginto as manystations,

a generator of electricity connected with said circuit, a signal devicesuch as an annunciator-in each branch, at circuit-closer at each station,'and extensions of each branch to a circuit-closer at each of the other stations, substantially as described, wherebyat any station the connections of said generator may be so alterated by the circuit-closer thereat as to operate the signal device at any of the other stations, as set forth.

5. A circuit having branches entering the difierent stations, a generator of electricity connected with said circuit-signal devicessuch as annunciators-in the branches, extensions of said branches to other stations, a local branch at each station, and a telephone or telephones in each local branch, in combinatiouwith a circuit-closer at each station for altering the connections of the generator so as to operate the signal device at another station, and for simultaneously connecting its own local branch with a conductor running to that station, substantially as described.

In a telephone system, a signal device or annunciator, and a telephone or telephones at each station, combined and electrically connected with circuit-closers,substantially as decribed, said circuit-closers comprising at each stationa circuit-closer for simultaneously operating the signal device at a distant station and connecting in the telephone or telephones with a conductor running to that station, and a circuit-closer for breaking the signal-circuit established from a distant station and connecting in the telephone or telephones with a conductor coming from that station, as set forth.

7. A telephone apparatus comprising a signal device-such as an annunciator-a telephone or telephones, a circuit-closer, a conductor connecting one contact of said circuit closer with the coils of the signal device, one or more additional circuit-closers, a conductor electrically connecting the levers of the additional circuit-closers with a second contactplate of the first-named circuit-closer and with the telephone or telephones, and binding-posts for connecting conductors with the lever of the first-named circuit-closer and the contact-plates established by the circuit-closer at the distant station and to make aconneotion between the telephone branch andthe conductor running to said distant station, substantially as described.

9. In a telephone-exchange system, including a series of connected switch-boards from each of which radiate subscribers lines, the combination of the small operators switchboards adjacent to the main switch-boards, the annunciators and circuit-closers on said operators switch-boards, the generator of electricity, and the circuit-connections between the said generator, the annunciators, and the circuit-closers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of May, 1882.

HENRY B. LYCLLE.

Witnesses:

GEO. WILLIs PIERCE, (3. H. M. HAZEL. 

